Ghanaian Pleads Guilty in $10 Million Online Romance Scam Case in U.S.
A Ghanaian man extradited to the United States last year over a large international fraud investigation has pleaded guilty to his role in a multimillion-dollar online romance scam targeting victims across the United States.
Derrick Van Yeboah, 40, admitted before Arun Subramanian in a federal court in New York that he participated in a scheme that deceived victims into sending money through fake online relationships.
Prosecutors in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York say the Ghanaian national personally obtained more than $10 million from victims by posing as romantic partners online and persuading them to transfer funds.
Authorities say the broader criminal network – which included several suspects allegedly operating from Ghana – stole and laundered more than $100 million through romance scams and business email compromise schemes targeting individuals and companies in the United States.
Investigators say the fraud typically involved creating fake identities on online platforms to build emotional relationships with victims, many of them elderly. Once trust was established, victims were convinced to send money or help move funds linked to other fraudulent transactions.
Van Yeboah was extradited to the United States in August 2025 along with two other Ghanaian suspects – Isaac Oduro Boateng and Inusah Ahmed – following a joint operation involving Ghanaian and U.S. authorities. A fourth suspect, Patrick Kwame Asare, remains at large.
The extradition was coordinated with support from the Economic and Organised Crime Office, Ghana Police Service, Cyber Security Authority and other security agencies.
Van Yeboah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years under U.S. law.
He has also agreed to pay $10,149,429.17 in restitution and forfeiture, representing the amount investigators say he obtained through the online romance scams.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 3, 2026.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from authorities in Ghana and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
The case highlights the growing international crackdown on online fraud networks and romance scams, which have become one of the most common forms of cyber-enabled financial crime globally.
Law enforcement agencies say such schemes often rely on emotional manipulation, where scammers build trust with victims over time before requesting financial assistance under false pretences.
